If Jude Law and Jason Bateman weren’t enough to get you in on Netflix’s new thriller, the fact that most of the people on the streamer are already watching it might instead.
Black Rabbit has leapt to the top of Netflix’s list of most popular TV shows just a day after all eight episodes arrived on the platform.
The show stars the two esteemed Hollywood actors as brothers in their middle age and having not spoken since their mother died.
Law is Jake, a successful but very much stretched-thin restaurateur who has built the Black Rabbit – a three-storey clubhouse – into the toast of New York. It’s the type of place that sells $50 hamburgers and imports something called ‘beet tincture’ to make its equally pricey Negronis.
Meanwhile, Bateman takes on the darker and juicier of the two roles as Vince, a flaming mess who is scratching together a series of get-rich-quick schemes in the hopes of outpacing his creditors.
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With those money lenders on his tail, Vince returns to New York, and the Black Rabbit, on the night it is set to be visited by an all-important New York Times reviewer.
Oh, and there’s a very dramatic opening scene from one month earlier, when a group of armed robbers interrupt a lively night at the restaurant and we leave Jake frozen with a gun in his face.
A shot rings out, before we’re pulled away from the most fraught moment of the show and back in time to see how we got there.
Black Rabbit is about nights out, owing people money and brotherhood.
Plus, with Bateman starring and Laura Linney behind the camera to direct a series of episodes, much has been made of the Ozark comparisons.
Metro’s thoughts on Black Rabbit
Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her take…
It’s the sibling dysfunction between Vince and Jake that gives this unlikely Netflix original a springboard to put it above your generic Uncut Gems-y crime thriller.
Despite Bateman having made a name playing the quintessential type A goodie-two-shoes, he is faultless as hurricane Vince.
Without that performance the show would run away from itself. The chaotic flow of the storylines might be intended to mimic the New York living experience, but it feels a bit like being shuttled from pillar to post on a jittery bus.
That being said, Black Rabbit has twists, style and star power. I’m sure a few kinks won’t deter viewers.
The thriller has been described as having a ‘gritty vibe’ by viewers, with Polohead248 writing in their seven-star Google review: ‘Equal parts Ozark’s shadowy cartel intrigue and The Bear’s raw, high-stakes tension.’
Natalie Canini wrote: ‘I just binged watched the whole series in one night, it was outstanding. As usual Jason Bateman was terrific and Jude Law didn’t disappoint. I loved it and highly recommend.’
‘What a wowser of a show!’ exclaimed Susan Peterson. ‘Fast moving…like a good book I couldn’t put down.
‘Was it realistic? Not really. But the acting, the scenes and the way it was shot made it completely engaging. Bring on some crappy weather and let me binge-watch until it ends!!!’
Are you going to watch Black Rabbit?
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Yes
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No
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Who knows
Black Rabbit is available to watch on Netflix.
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